The Falcons went to Madrid needing a reset and came home with another ugly result. Cincinnati’s offense had too much firepower, and Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase powered the Bengals to a 34-17 win that pushed Atlanta to 3-6 and left the team with its fourth loss in five games.
This one had a little less chaos than the Tampa Bay debacle, but the problems were still obvious. The Falcons were sloppy, outmatched and too often the ones making life harder on themselves. With the trade deadline approaching, the conversation around this team is only getting louder.
A.J. Terrell had a rough afternoon from the opening drive on.
Atlanta put him on Ja’Marr Chase, and Chase immediately made the matchup look lopsided with a 47-yard touchdown. Chase finished with 10 catches for 155 yards and that score, and he was also the defender in coverage on a Tee Higgins touchdown in the second quarter.
Terrell was flagged for defensive holding earlier in that drive, wiping out a Gervon Dexter Sr. sack in the red zone, and he also gave up a season-high in yards while getting beat on a run blocking play by rookie TE Jack Endries. The cornerback may not be fully healthy, but the larger picture is hard to ignore: he’s been regressing for a while, and he’s under contract through 2029.
The other side of the line didn’t do Atlanta any favors either. Jawaan Taylor was penalized for holding on a play that took away a big Michael Penix Jr. throw to Kyle Pitts, then later jumped early with a false start that stalled a red-zone drive.
For a team trying to run an outside zone system, that kind of instability at tackle is a problem. Taylor was always going to be a one-year test, and after the penalties and the run-blocking issues, it looks like Atlanta will be searching for a new starting right tackle next season.
Penix, meanwhile, showed a different part of his game. His passing was uneven, but he made plays with his legs in a way he hasn’t often done in his career.
He ran for a career-high 50 yards on just three carries, including a 23-yard burst on the second drive. That total more than doubled his previous career best of 21 rushing yards, and he reached that mark in the first quarter alone.
With the run game short-handed, those scrambles helped keep the offense moving.
Bijan Robinson was the one constant Atlanta could lean on. Even with the Falcons trailing for most of the day, they kept feeding him.
He finished with 19 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown, plus a team-high six catches for 47 yards. He was used as a runner, a receiver and even lined up out wide at times, and Penix kept checking it down to him when nothing opened up downfield.
In a game where so much went wrong, Robinson was the centerpiece the offense needed him to be.
The kicking situation also got worse. Atlanta signed Nick Folk hoping to fix a long-running problem, but the results have gone the other way.
He entered Week 9 having missed four field goals, including three from 50-plus yards, and then missed a 38-yard attempt in the fourth quarter after the Falcons chose to kick instead of going for it on fourth down with a 14-point deficit. It was his first miss inside 40 yards since 2017.
The Falcons made him the fifth-highest paid kicker in the league and gave up a comp pick to get him, but that move is looking like the worst signing of the Ian Cunningham era so far.
And above all of it was the discipline issue. Atlanta was flagged a season-high 12 times for 88 penalty yards, and those mistakes kept stacking up against a Bengals offense that was rolling.
The execution was shaky, the play-calling didn’t help, and the Falcons repeatedly undercut themselves. More than anything else, this was a loss built on self-inflicted damage.
In Other News...
Falcons Face A Jessie Bates Deadline Decision Fans Will Watch Closely
With the trade deadline approaching, the Falcons appear set to take a cautious approach, with the front office more likely to look for draft capital than to move out important pieces. Atlantas 3-5 record has not pushed the team toward a fire sale, and Jessie Bates has emerged as one of the more notable names drawing outside interest as teams check on the market.
Bates is a pending free agent and a 2023 Pro Bowler, which naturally makes him a player rival clubs would ask about, but a deal still looks like a long shot. His salary is a hurdle, and Atlanta does not appear eager to absorb money just to make a trade easier, especially with Bates still operating as a full-time starter next to rookie Xavier Watts. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Need Bijan Robinson To Snap Out Of This Slump Fast
Bijan Robinson opened the 2026 season looking every bit like the engine of Atlantas offense, stacking multiple games with more than 100 scrimmage yards and giving the Falcons the kind of backfield production that can tilt a game plan. Over the last four weeks, though, the rhythm has changed. The touches are still there, but the same explosive finish has been harder to find, and Robinson has already acknowledged to reporters that his recent play has not matched his standard.
The timing matters because Atlanta heads into Week 9 against Cincinnati with a matchup that should be there for the taking on the ground. The Bengals have been vulnerable enough in run defense to give Robinson a path back toward the kind of impact the Falcons need from him, especially as they try to steady an offense that has leaned on him all season. For Atlanta, the question is less whether the opportunity will be there and more whether Robinson can turn it into the kind of statement outing that resets the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Bijan Robinson Just Gave Falcons Fans A Perfect Spain Game Moment
The NFLs push into Spain got an easy win before kickoff when Bijan Robinson showed up around the Week 9 game in Madrid wearing a Real Madrid jersey. For a league trying to plant deeper roots overseas, it was the kind of crossover moment that lands instantly with a local crowd, and it fit Robinsons profile as one of the most visible young stars in the sport. He enters the game leading the NFL in rushing yards through eight weeks, and he is expected to be on the field against the Bengals.
For Atlanta, it is a reminder that Robinsons appeal stretches well beyond the usual NFL audience. A player who can draw attention in a soccer-mad city like Madrid gives the Falcons a rare chance to connect with new fans in a setting built for that kind of exposure. The league wanted a showcase in Spain, and Robinson gave it one before the first snap even mattered. [Read more 🡒]